BRUSSELS, March 12 - The European Union agreed on a framework on Wednesday for its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, a stronger response to the Ukraine crisis than many expected and a mark of solidarity with Washington in the drive to make Moscow pay for seizing Crimea, Reuters reported.

WASHINGTON, March 12 - U.S. President Barack Obama warned Russia it faced costs from the West unless it changed course in Ukraine, and pledged to "stand with Ukraine" as he met with the country's new prime minister in Washington.

KIEV, March 12 – Opposition groups on Thursday plan to begin a two-month campaign against President Viktor Yanukovych and his government to energize supporters amid renewed talk of early parliamentary elections.

KIEV, March 12 - Ukraine lacks the evidence to charge two men with plotting to kill Vladimir Putin despite Russian television airing a confession from them days ahead of Russia’s elections, AFP reported Monday citing a newspaper.

KIEV, March 9 – President Viktor Yanukovych has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to ensure the payment in June through December 2012 of up to UAH 1,000 to each of the six million depositors of the former Soviet Sberbank as compensation for depreciated deposits.

KIEV, March 12 – President Viktor Yanukovych said he believes that the stable growth of the Ukrainian economy in the past two years has become the foundation for the implementation of a number of initiatives on the improvement of the social welfare and living standards of citizens.

KIEV, March 11 – The program developed for an International Monetary Fund loan is a key component of the anti-crisis measures taken by Ukraine, said President Viktor Yushchenko.

"This is a basic document for Ukraine in 2009," he said in an interview on British Channel 4 on Wednesday, the presidential press service reported.

KIEV, March 10 – The head of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, MP Vasyl Khara (Regions Party), has criticized agreements struck with Japanese specialists by the Ministry for Transport and Communications on building subway systems in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, saying it was earlier agreed that unemployed miners would do this work.

KIEV, March 11 -- Moody's Investors Service has placed the B1 foreign currency corporate family and debt ratings of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine - for which there had been a negative outlook assigned - on review for possible downgrade, Moody's said in a statement.

KIEV, March 12 – Kostiantyn Hryshchenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Russia, may be nominated by President Viktor Yushchenko as the country’s next foreign minister, a television report stated Thursday, citing a person in the presidential office.